All USG Libraries will be moving to a new online catalog system on May 26, 2017. The new catalog replaces both the current GIL-Find and GIL Classic by combining the best features of each. All University System of Georgia (USG) libraries will be changing to the same new catalog.

Why is it changing?

The online catalog system the Libraries have used for the past 18 years was developed in an era when libraries had almost solely physical items. The new system will allow us to better manage our print and digital collections, improve efficiency through shared services across the USG, and expand our assessment capabilities.

What are the improvements?

With the new GIL-Find, you will be able to:

Use one catalog to search for resources in different formats - no need to check a separate system for online journals.

Use one catalog to search both your local institution and University System of Georgia collections.

Use your school ID to log into your account and request GIL Express books, review what you have checked out, and save favorites. No more independent login and no more PIN!

Most books will be automatically renewed twice before having to be returned or renewed in person at the library.

Browse lists of books by subject, author, title, and more.

Will there be interruptions in services?

There should be few interruptions in services for most users; however, here are important dates to know:

GIL Express is on hiatus from May 5-26. During this time, you can use Interlibrary Loan to get books and articles from other libraries.

Saved “Favorites” in your current GIL-Find account will not automatically migrate to the new system. Consider saving them by e-mail or exporting into EndNote before May 21

How will I get to the new GIL-Find?

The URL will remain the same.

Will I still be able to…

Borrow books through GIL Express?

Absolutely! With the new GIL-Find, you will no longer have to go to a separate catalog to search and request books from other libraries. Also, Georgia Tech will be re-joining the GIL Express service.

Search GIL Classic?

No, the new GIL-Find replaces both GIL Classic and the current GIL-Find. The new GIL-Find features a “browse search” that works like the “exact search” in GIL Classic as well as an “advanced search” that is similar to GIL Classic’s “keyword search.”

Put articles and books on Course Reserve?

Yes, the new GIL-Find includes Course Reserves.

What are the technical details?

The new online catalog system is from Ex Libris, a major library vendor with a long history of working with the USG libraries. Ex Libris provided the system that runs the current GIL as well as our journal locator. In the new catalog, Alma is the name of the system that library staff will use for acquisitions, cataloging, circulation, and analytics. Primo is what Ex Libris calls the public catalog that library users search, although we will continue to call our public catalog GIL-Find. Emory and Georgia Tech both use Primo for their online catalogs.

The TrackIT ticketing system used by GIL has been replaced with ServiceNow. Issues that are currently open in TrackIT will continue to be handled within that system until they are cleared out. New issues will be routed to ServiceNow.

ServiceNow was selected by the University System of Georgia (USG) Information Technology Services (ITS) as the solution to replace USGTrackit for IT and library incident response and service management support. It went live February 1st 2017.

The Helpdesk Contact form used on this site is still used to create tickets, it simply routes them to ServiceNow instead of TrackIT:

Ex Libris has replaced the learning center and the documentation center with the “Knowledge Center”. Here you will find documentation and training for Alma as well as for Voyager. And with no login to keep track of!